Chicago Advice

[the_experience03]

A group of three other friends and myself plan to go to Chicago this year for a few days over spring break. No, we won't be taking the bus...it doesn't have heat and campgrounds in downtown Chicago are hard to find. We have a couple of ideas for things to do and we certainly should be able to find stuff once we're there, but I'm just wondering if anyone on the board here knows of a "must-see" attraction like a place we HAVE to eat at or a really good blues bar or anything else associated with the music scene (we have far reaching tastes). Any recommendations would be great!

 

[oldog12]

Chicago during spring break is still usually pretty chilly... So the beach will be out of the question. One of my favorite blues bars was "Wise Fools Pub". Don't know if its still there or not... Rush Street is SUPER expensive!! There used to be a "Blues Bar Crawl" where you'd pay up front and get admitted into the various blues bars at a discount, but the last time I did that must be about ten years ago or so. Go to the top of Sears Tower, that's one of those "Gotta Do" things and go see the U-505 at the Science and Industry Museum. Eats... wow, there are so many good eateries in town, it would be hard to say... of course you gotta have a Chicago deep-dish pizza !! I suggest either Pizzaria Uno or Giordano's. Go to Greek Town just north of the U of I on Halsted where I suggest Grocery Diana, and of course go and see China Town. Art Institute if you're trying to impress a chick... I mean, holy cow, there's a lot to see and do... Just about anything you want...

 

[the_experience03]

That's exactly what we tell everyone when they give us that confused look. This trip is WAY cheaper than going to say Mexico and there's more to see than the bottom of a glass of beer. We have some connections to a law firm in the Sears Tower so we get some cool access there and plan to spend atleast a little time there. Coming from northern Minnesota means a 5 level parking ramp is the closest we get to "skyscrapers" so that should be eye opening. I think a lot of just plain wandering around during the day should help use figure out what we're going to do that night. The museums are definitely on the list. There is only one girl coming with us and she has a boyfriend who we've all known longer than her so we really don't plan to impress any females, but a little culture is always good anyway.

 

[Steve-SKO]

Yes no matter what you do you MUST go get some Giordano's.

 

[oldog12]

Remember, Chicago is a BIG city... I mean, well, any "wandering around" needs to have at least a little direction. If you go to Navy Pier, there are a few places there that'll prove interesting, like the "Baja Beach Club". Its a bar, a little on the expensive side, but a pretty cool place where the waitresses get up on top of the huge speakers that blast music and dance a little, and there's a laser tag joint somewhere there at Navy Pier, and some other cool shops and stuff.... If you guys have the time and need a little entertainment, go and see "Blue Man Group" HIGHLY ENTERTAINING. Parking is prohibitively expensive downtown, so if you can, use public transportation. The public trans system in Chicago is OK, and will get you just about anywhere you need to go. Taxis are expensive. I don't know if it'll be open for spring break, but check out if the bike rental on the lake shore is open, and depending on the weather, you all might want to take a ride up and down the lake shore, which is well... neat...

 

[oldog12]

OOPS.... I guess it has been a while since I went to Navy Pier, but the Baja Beach Club is no longer there... It moved, but for a good time, I'd give it a thumbs up and worth the admission price, go to their web site and check them out.

 

[oldog12]

Check out FitzGerald's in Berwyn, a western suburb just outside of Chicago. Its a nice music club and micro-brewery

 

[oldog12]

BTW, I prefer Giordano's too....

 

[oldog12]

Go see th National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, well.... if your head's into it....

 

[the_experience03]

I didn't know there was such a thing! I don't care if I have to go alone...I'm going to see it. I'm currently taking an incredibly interesting class for my history elective called "Vietnam: America's Longest War." I think it would great to go there and see some of the stuff from the vets.

 

[oldog12]

Yeah... There's a lot to see and do in Chicago.... But, I think it was Edgar Winter that said: "The coldest winter I ever had was the Christmas I spent in Chicago"....

 

[wmah]

Now I have not been to House Of Blues Chicago but that is another option for you. You can check thier web site and see if any bands you like are going to be there when you go and buy tickets before hand.

I did go to HOB Orlando last month and preordered tickets for Collective Soul and I never saw them before or even set foot into a HOB but it was worth it. But of course that band really didn't fall under the Blues genre and as do a lot of other bands that go there.

 

[oldog12]

Ain't never been to HOB... Mostly because of the premium price of the tickets... You might want to see if there's anything going on at The Old Town School of Music... Sometimes they got a show of the locals and semi-famous... And you might as well check out Ravinia, just on the off chance they'll have something to suit your pallet, but I think it'll be too early in the season for them to be open... Cool thing about Ravinia is the train stops right there...

 

[lapeer20m]

how you getting to chicago? I live in michigan about 300 miles away and the train costs me about $25 each way. That's cheaper than you can park yoru car in chicago!

That is about the only place you can go by train in michigan. Our state has worked very had at not providing mass transit to protect the big 3 automakers.

 

[the_experience03]

We're taking a 2003 Grand Prix GT. It's a comfortable car and gets surprisingly good mileage on the highway. There really isn't much for mass transit that direction. Sure, we could take Greyhound, but that would cost as much as gas and leave us without a vehicle in the city. We could also take Amtrak....if we wanted to drive to Minneapolis/St. Paul first. Basically we're getting on Highway 53 in Duluth and driving straight to Eau Claire where we will catch I-94. There are some other highways in there, but it's a pretty easy shots.

 

[oldog12]

Two words.... RUSH HOUR ..... AVOID IT !!!! Both in the AM and the PM.

 

[the_experience03]

Well I get off of work at 7:00pm in Duluth and we're leaving after that so we should arrive at about 3:00-3:30 am so I think we're free and clear of the rush hour business. Of course that time of day has its own set of issues.

 

[oldog12]

Actually, that just might be the right time.... Just remember, Chicago has two seasons.... Winter, and CONSTRUCTION

This last cold snap has taken its toll on several of the expressways here and produced a bumper crop of pot holes.

But I think you'll be OK, just as long as you get to your destination by say no later than 0530

If you're really going to be in town on or about 0300... well, just watch out for the other guy... they're probably drunk...